Pitchfork

M. Ward, the Portland-based songwriter responsible for 2001's overlooked gem End of Amnesia will release a brand-new album next month. Transfiguration of Vincent, Ward's debut for Merge Records, is set to hit shelves... yesterday! Armed with a sort of Americana-fusion that melds folk, country, blues, and (of course) rock, M. Ward's vocals chime in a la Tom Waits meets Mark Linkous, lusciously layered over Sparklehorse's creepier moments, Giant Sand's couldn't-give-a-crap country rock, and the wide open, fantasy space of Grandaddy. Yeah, that's quite an ill blend of goodness. Tracklist:

01 Transfiguration #1
02 Vincent O'Brien
03 Sad, Sad Song
04 Undertaker
05 Duet For Guitars #3
06 Outta My Head
07 Involuntary
08 Helicopter
09 Poor Boy, Minor Key
10 Fool Says
11 Get To The Table On Time
12 A Voice At The End Of The Line
13 Dead Man
14 Let's Dance
15 Transfiguration #2 .

Transfigurations of Vincent marks Ward's third solo release, the first of which-- Duet for Guitars #2-- was produced by Giant Sand frontman Howe Gelb. About Ward, Gelb had this to say: "Not since Grandaddy have I been so charmed by an unknown collection of tunes and their display." Ward's other claim-to-fame is having accompanied emo poster-boy Conor Oberst and his Bright Eyes bunch on their U.S. tour late in 2002. And now, in support of his new album, Ward is planning an extensive U.S. tour to kick off next month with fellow alternative-countryist Vic Chesnutt. Datez:

04-04 Atlanta, GA - Echo Lounge
04-05 Carrboro, NC - The Arts Center
04-07 Arlington, VA - IOTA
04-08 Philadelphia, PA - North Star Bar
04-10 New York, NY - Knitting Factory
04-11 Brooklyn, NY - Southpaw
04-12 Cambridge, MA - House of Blues
04-16 Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
04-17 Champaign, IL - Ward's New Place
04-18 Chicago, IL - Martyr's
04-19 Madison, WI - Orpheum Stage Door
04-25 Vancouver, BC - Richard's on Richards
04-26 Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
04-27 Portland, OR - Dante's
04-29 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
04-30 San Francisco, CA - Bottom of the Hill
05-02 West Hollywood, CA - Troubadour
05-03 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture Center
05-06 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre

.: M. Ward: http://www.giantsand.com/mward/
.: Merge Records: http://www.mergerecords.com